Andrew Wiggins, Who Stepped Away From Team For Two Months, Set To Return For Warriors' Postseason

Start spreadin' the news; Andrew Wiggins is back!

The Golden State Warriors remain one of the West's prime contenders for the NBA Finals. Golden State is upping their contention a level after announcing that forward Andrew Wiggins will finally be ready to play. Best of all, his return arrives just in time for their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings.

It's also a good sign for Wiggins, who's been away from the team since Feb. 13 over personal issues. His lengthy, mysterious absence happened to lead to one scandalous rumor.

(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

Wiggins' Return Puts Rumor To Bed

According to The Athletic / Stadium's Sham Charania, Andrew Wiggins has been cleared to play by the team. Wiggins is expected to suit up for Game 1 of the Warriors' series against the Kings. Whether Wiggins will start or come off the bench remains unknown, though expectations lean on coming off the bench after stepping away from basketball for two months.

Social media started buzzing over Wiggins' departure from the team in February. One prominent rumor claimed that the former first-overall pick discovered his girlfriend had children with Wiggins' best friend and that the NBA player had been fathering them, thinking they were his own.

An outlandish rumor spawned by the team's radio silence on Wiggins for those two months. The team's reactions to Wiggins' departure beefed up the rumor as players like Steph Curry lamented over Wiggins' circumstance, saying it was "bigger than basketball."

When the Warriors officially announced Wiggins' return on Apr. 3, details on his hiatus were also revealed. Wiggins stepped away to tend to his father, who was dealing with a medical issue.

The Rich Get Richer

The sixth-seeded Warriors bring back a valuable three-and-D piece with Wiggins to complement their trending offense, led by Curry and a resurgent Klay Thompson.

Warriors Guard Donte DiVincenzo has been filling in for Wiggins and is playing exceptionally in the new role. Coach Steve Kerr said the team is playing the Wiggins-DiVincenzo swap "by ear," though Kerr fully expects Wiggins to bounce back as a "naturally gifted athlete."

"He's a guy that guards the other team's best players," said Warriors big man Kevon Looney on Wiggins. "And he's a guy that when the shot clock is getting low, you can just throw him the ball and he's going to get a bucket. That's something we've been missing all year."